Cylinder-capping device



June 12, 1923. g 1,458,452

W. WESTBURY CYLINDER CAPPING DEVICE Filed Jan. 19, 1922 Patented June123, 1923.

warren stares WILLIAIE XVESTBUBY, OE (JANET, KANSAS.

LINDER-centimennvrcn.

Application filed January 19, 1922. Serial No. 530,479.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM VESTBURY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Caney, in the county of ldontgomery and State of Kansas,have invented new and useful Improvements in Cylinder-Capping De--vices, of which the tollowingis a specification.

This invention relates to electrical cylin-,

der capping devices foruse in cracking or severing glass cyl nders "intosuitable lengths or sections preparatory to opening and flattening suchlengths or sections for the Tproduction of window glass.

i cry often a cylinder. isdrawn which is thicker on one side than on'theother side. If, under suchconditions, an ordinary elec trically heatedcracking wire is used the heat appliedthrough the wire'will, cause thethin side of the cylinder to be burnt, producing checks or flaws, Whilethe thick side of the cylinder is not heated suihciently for a crackingoil action, I If, under such. conditions,,the thick side of the cylindershould be heated sufficiently to crack cit, the imperfections produced,as a result of an ir regular cracking oli' action when the walls ofthecylinderare of uneven thickness, are liable to cause the cylinder tobreak or blow up when the cylinder is handled or placed in theflattening oven. All prior cracking devices with which Iamgfamiliar,

using an electrical heat resistance or cracking wire, are open to theseobjections and deficient in that they do not permitlproper applicationof the electric current to compensate for variations in the thickness ofdifferent portions of the cylinde'r.

One object of my invention is to provide an electrically heated crackingdevice, including a resistance wire, and current controllingconnections, whereby the current may be supplied to heat the entire wireor to heat only a portion of the wire at will, thus enabling theoperator to, apply theheat to the cylinder to compensate for variationsin the thicknesses of different portions thereof. A further object ofthe invention is'to provide a cracking wire which will admit oftheapplication of heat firstto the thick side of a cylinder so that thesame may be partially burnt through, and then to all portions ofthecylinder encircled by the wire simultaneously, allowing a clean crackingaction to be performed with an avoidance of liability otchecking,blowing-up or irregular breaking of the cylinder.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination andarrangement of par s, hereinafter fully described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accent,

panying drawing, in which l igure l is a CTOSSSQCUOII through a cylindershowing the application of my 1m-'65 proved cracking device.

Figure 2 is a detail section through the junction piece. a a

Figure 3 is a diagram of the resistance wire and its electric circuitconnection.

Figure at is a sectional view through the switch block.

In carrying my invention into practice I provide a cracking devicecomprising an electrically heated resistance wire 1 of circular form toembrace the glass cylinder 2. This wire is divided'into sections 3 and4, which may be equal orunequal as desired or as circumstances mayrequire. The wire is arranged in an electric circuit including anegative conductor 5 and apositive conductor 6 supplied with currentfrom any suitable source. i

W At one side of'the wire the ends of the sections 3 and i are passedthrough openings I in spaced metallic plates 6 and throughcorrespondinoopenings in a junction block or I piece 7, to which saidplates are secured, as by means at screws 8, and then connected with thenegative wire 5, thus coupling the wire sections to the negativeconductor for the passage of current through either or both at said wiresections and said conduc: tor. The opposite ends of the wire sections 3and l-arc similarlypassed through openings in metallic plates 9 securedtoone end of a hand piece 10 forming a switch block, to the opposite endof which hand piece the positiveconductor .6 is connected. From. theplates 9 the wires 3 and i extend through channels in the block 10 tocontacts .9" arr ranged in proximity to the conductor 6. Each block 7and 10 is made of fiber or other suitable non conducting material,allowing the same to be, safely handled and which serve in insulatingthe metallic plates thereon and portions of the wire connected therewithfrom each other.

Carried by theblock or hand piece 10 is a tour-position rotary snapswitch, including a knob or finger piece 11 and a switch blade r plate11, which is adjustable to cut off the supply of current through thecracking wire and to regulate the passage of cur-- rent therethrough.This switch has ablank the positive conductor 6 solely with one of thecontacts 9 and the cracking wire section 3 leading thereto exclusive ofthe cracking wire section 4,11 third position in which it connects thepositive conductor 6 solely with the other switch contact 9 and thecracking wire section 4: leading thereto exclusive of the cracking wiresection 3, and a fourth position in which it connects both contacts 9and both cracking wire sections 3 and 4 with the conductor 6. Thus itwill be understood that by adjustment of the switch 11 current may besupplied through one cracking wire section. without passing through theother cracking wire section, which remains dead or negative, and that byadjustment of said switch both cracking wire sections may be connectedwith the conductor 6 for the pas sage of current entirely through andaround the cracking wire,,and that both cracking wire sections may bethrown out of circuitat any time my movement of the switch to its-blankposition. v

In practice, the conducting wire 5' and the block 7 to which the minusends of the cracking wire section 3 are connected are preferablyarranged so as to come at the rear .of the glass cylinder, and so thatthe hand piece. 10; carrying the switch 11, and

to which the positive conductor 6 is connected, will be arranged at thefront of the cylinder, which will be supported for the severingoperation in the usual horse or I cradle. The ends of the wire which areconnected with the block 10 may be so fastened tosaid block that eitheror both of them may be detachedtherefrom so that the cracking wire maybe applied in position and removed after use and adjusted about thecylinder to closely hug the same for the cracking operation. As shown inthe present instance, the Wire. sections 3 and 4 are of unequal lengths,that is form long and short arcs of a circle, thus allowing the handpiece 10 to be ar ranged in aconvenient horizontal position at .thefront of the cylinder, while the junction block 7 is disposed above thehorizontal center of the cylinder, and at the rear thereof, OI' theconnection of the conductor 6 with an overhead source of electric supplyif desired. By' the construction described it will be seen that if thecylinder is of uniform thickness, throughout the switch 11 may beadjusted for the simultaneous passage of current through both wiresections 3 and 4,. whereby the cylinder will be uniformly heated aroundthe cracking line for a uniform cracking action. If, however, the

the cylinder uniformly-all around.

cylindershould bethicker on one side than on the other side, as,forexample, thicker on the side embraced by the wire section 3, currentmay be passed through said wire section 3 to partially cut through thecylinder, and then the current may be passed through both wire sections3 and i to crack By this means a cylinder of uniform thickness may becracked in one operation in the usual manner, while the cylinder whichis thicker at one side than the other may be cracked in two heatapplying operations in such a manner as to avoid undue heating of thecylinder at the thin side and liability of breakage of the cylinder fromthe unequal application. of heat or other well known cally insulatedsections, current supplying' means, and means for directing the electriccurrent through one section of the wire exj elusive of another sectionthereof. 2. An electrical cracking device comprising a cracking wire. toembrace the cylinder, said wire being made of a pair of sectionselectrically insulated from one "another, means for connecting like endsof the, wire sections to. one conductor of an electric supply circuit,and a switch device for connecting the other ends of the wire to theother conductor of said supply circuit, said switch devicebeingoperative to cut off the supply of current from. both sections of thewire or to direct the current for passage through either one of thewires independently of the other or simultaneously through both sectionsof the wire.

3. An electrical cylinder cracking device comprising a cracking'wireformed of two electrically insulated sections adapted to berespectivelyarranged to bear upon thick and thinportions of a cylinder,a source of electric current supply, and means for directing the currentwhereby the current may be.

caused to pass exclusively. through the wire section bearing against oneportion of the cylinder and thereafter through both wire sectionssimultaneously.

4:. An electrical cylinder cracking device comprising a cracking wire,means insulating portions of the wire from each other, and means forpassing a current through one portion of the wire independentof another.

5. An electrical cylinder cracking device comprising a cracking wire toembrace the cylinder, said wire being formed of sections, meansconnecting the ends of the wire sections at one side of the wire withone conductor of an electric circuit, and means for connecting the endsof the wire sections at the opposite side of said Wire with the otherconductor of an electric circuit, said latternamed means including aswitch for cutting off the current from said wire or for causing thecurrent to pass through either wire section independently or throughboth wire sections jointly.

6. An electrical cylinder cracking device comprising an electricalresistance conductor wire adapted to be passed around a cylinder andincluding a. plurality of electrically insulated portions, and means forpassing a heating current through one portion of the Wire independent ofanother portion thereof.

7. An electrical cylinder cracking device comprising an electricalresistance conductor wire adapted to be passed around a cylinder andincluding at least two'electrically insulated portions, and means forpassing a current through one of said portions independ ent of the otheror others of said portions or of: passing the current through the entirewire.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM WESTBUR-Y.

